All tagged Melody

Dance Recital 2020

Dance Recital 2020

Brittany Payne
Kids

Melody’s second dance recital was last weekend. This year it was slightly different due to COVID-19, but honestly I loved it! First, the recital was moved from May to June. We were assigned a day similar to how it would have happened in May. However we did not have a rehearsal this year. Instead we came just for our single performance. They did a rehearsal, then immediately performed again for video purposes. Because of this, there were maybe 40 people in the audience at a time, and we only had to stay for just her performance. Then we were free to go! I think things went perfectly, and we felt really safe. Melody did so good, and I was afraid with the lack of in-room dance classes she would not know the dance. Overall it was such a sweet performance, and I would be ok if this was the new norm for recitals at her age, ha!

Number Bingo

Number Bingo

Brittany Payne
Kids

So I found this activity on Oriental Trading’s website. So if you want to do it too, that is where you can find a printable (or you can draw up your own in Microsoft Office or Pixelmator). So this gave us a new activity to do during school days with all the homeschooling we did this spring. We are also trying to continue to do school 1-2 days a week this summer.

Dance Spring 2020

Dance Spring 2020

Brittany Payne
Kids

So this spring was an interesting one when it came to dance. March 13 we received the news that schools would be temporarily closing for COVID 19, and since our dance studio follows the school calendar dance too was postponed. We spent the first week assuming it was spring break. Then our dance studio put together online classes for the month of April and a few weeks of March. Once (sometimes twice) a week we would do dance in our living room. Melody would do a Frozen dance from youtube along with her recital dance and dance instruction for her class. We have spent the last 4 weeks getting back to in studio dance classes but in a new setup. We have to drop off and pick up the kids via carline instead of going instead. They also have encouraged the kids to wear masks too. And it is recital weekend! So while dance was different, we adjusted and overcame it all. And we are thankful we did get to go back to class and have a recital!

DIY Matching Game

DIY Matching Game

Brittany Payne
Crafts

So this was far from an original idea, but it was a really great one and we had everything on hand to do this. I found this on Oriental Trading’s website. It is really easy to make, and a fun game to play for toddlers.

Unexpectedly Homeschool Week Eleven

Unexpectedly Homeschool Week Eleven

Brittany Payne
Randomness, Crafts, Kids

So as much fun as I have had doing these weekly posts, I am planning for this to be my last post in regards to homeschooling for a while. This current week we are taking a break since we have a lot of birthdays we are celebrating which means spending some much needed time with our families. However, I do plan to continue using the resources I have mentioned before throughout the summer for at least 2 days a week. I am aiming do to 3 days, but once things start to open back up more and we get out more, I don’t want to count on it. These posts will be neat to look back on as we get back to normal again, and I plan to of course continue blogging and updating you with all the things we have going on in our lives!

Dance Pictures 2020

Dance Pictures 2020

Brittany Payne
Kids

Luckily we were able to get in dance pictures prior to having to do dance at home due to COVID-19. We just recently were able to go through and get our pictures from the dance studio, so I wanted to share them! Melody promised me she smiled, but here we are again with no smiles. Oh well! She did smile when I was taking pictures before so there is that!

Last Day of Preschool

Last Day of Preschool

Brittany Payne
Kids

So while the school year was cut short about two months, we still took last day of preschool pictures. Just like last year, I dressed her in her same outfit she wore the first day of school. She was much happier this time, ha! I picked this particular day because we were able to go to her preschool to collect all of her things through a drive up system. It was so nice to have that closure, and I don’t think I even shed a tear! I am trying to remain hopeful that we will see those teachers again next year for her last year of preschool!

Preschool Teacher Gift

Preschool Teacher Gift

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Kids

So obviously teacher gifts were a little harder this year. We did get to see Melody’s teachers briefly during a pickup of their things this week. So I wanted to do something small along with a gift card. So I opted to make bookmarks just like I made our moms for Mother’s Day. I won’t go into much detail since it’s exactly the same, but I did leave a blank copy below if you want to make your own!

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Ten

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Ten

Brittany Payne
Household, Kids

So this would have been Melody’s last week of school and her last week of dance before her recital this past weekend. Well we know the ending to that story, right? We actually get to go to her preschool this week and pick up her things since we unexpectedly stopped school. It will be through the carline and we won’t get to hug or see any of her classmates, but at least this does give us some closure. As far as her dance recital, it has been postponed until June. And she actually gets to go back to dance class next week! Yay! Anyhow, onto the week. We did school as usual, but Melody was not into getting dressed in her tutu and tights for dance, so we didn’t argue. Our biggest battle this week was learning to brush our teeth with fluoride toothpaste. Anything that involves change is a battle. But by the end of the week she wasn’t fighting us as much!

Miss You Coloring Sheet

Miss You Coloring Sheet

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Household, Kids

During the beginning of the quarantine, Melody was really missing her grandparents (and friends and anyone that wasn’t Brad or me, ha!). So I decided to make a coloring sheet that she could send to our parents. I hoped she would make it more colorful, but purple is her favorite color! And she decided to make the hearts faces, haha.

Color Mixing

Color Mixing

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Household, Kids

I decided to make a color mixing sheet using Microsoft Word to show Melody what colors make when mixed together. This is actually a really fun and semi-mess free “craft”. We have mixed colors beyond the primary colors too. When we do this craft, I let her go through all of my paint and pick all the colors she wants to mix together. We then use q-tips to do the mixing which makes this a pretty clean activity even while using paint!

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Eight

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Eight

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Household, Kids

So in the COVID-19 world, Alabama was released from our “stay at home orders” and now we are under “safer at home orders again”. Basically non-essential stores may open at lower capacities, but that does not include salons, massage parlors, etc. There are some other rules and changes, and you can find those online if you are truly interested. That all began on Friday, May 1. We don’t really plan to change much, if any, of our routine until we see how these next two weeks pan out.

Mother's Day Bookmark

Mother's Day Bookmark

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Kids

So this year we obviously have a lot more time at home to do and prepare for things. One thing we do a LOT of are crafts (in case all of my posts these days doesn’t give that away). Well I wanted to do something fun for our mom’s (and myself) for Mother’s Day this year. So I decided to make us all bookmarks! You don’t have to do everything I do for this; I just happen to have a lot of craft supplies, ha!

Painted Chick

Painted Chick

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Kids

We did this craft before Easter, but I think it also can be a craft you can do anytime. It is another unique craft in that you don’t use a paint brush. And if your kid is a little older, they should be able to do it all without little help!

Unexpectedly Homeschool Week Seven

Unexpectedly Homeschool Week Seven

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Household, Kids

This week has been a really good week as far as school goes. Melody has actively participated, and we were also able to repurpose my old computer so that Melody can watch her videos on that without using mine. We accomplished a lot of crafts including some for Mother’s Day and a few “miss you” ones too. We took a break from dance on Thursday. I think Melody may be getting burned out doing it twice a week. So we may back down to the usual once a week and see if that helps her eagerness. Daddy was teacher one morning while I had a checkup at my doctor. We also had to rearrange things on Friday because we had to make an urgent trip to the local urgent care for Brad. A few stitches later and he is good. And we were able to finish the day up!

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Six

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Six

Brittany Payne
Household, Kids

This week I am keeping it simple. We did school; we learned; we danced; we played; we crafted; we are still exhausted, ha! A few new things this week happened though. Melody did start riding her tricycle on her own for long stints. We did take a really long nap after this long, exhausting week.

Fingerprint Cross

Fingerprint Cross

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Kids

So while we did this craft as an Easter craft, it can definitely be a craft you can do anytime of year. We plan to display this cross year around. Because of this, I did it on a canvas instead of regular paper. But this also can be done on regular paper too!

Painting with Easter Eggs

Painting with Easter Eggs

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Kids

If you are like me, you now have tons of those plastic Easter eggs laying around this week. Well one thing you can do with them is have your kids paint with them! You can make this as simple or as elaborate as you want. I let Melody pick 4 paint colors. Then we took two eggs and separated them. Then she used the inside of each egg to paint.

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Four

Unexpectedly Homeschooling Week Four

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Household, Kids

Every week, and nearly everyday, there is something new going on with the quarantine. This week we have found out that social distancing is going to continue at least through April 30. And we also now have a shelter in place order for Alabama. The shelter in place order doesn’t really change any of our habits. We are already only getting out for essentials or doing drive thru orders. So nothing huge for us personally. And we continue on with homeschooling and project completing!

Load More